


The Fire In His Heart

by whispers_of_writing



Series: Assassin Au [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Assassins & Hitmen, Brothers, Character Death, Fire, Flashbacks, Foster Care, Foster Kid Keith (Voltron), Future, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hide and Seek, Hippopotamus, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Keith is a sad boi, Kid Keith (Voltron), Korean Keith (Voltron), M/M, Past, Stuffed Toys, Time Skips, Wow, Years Later, broganes, future klance, klance, not really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-29 01:23:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17193833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whispers_of_writing/pseuds/whispers_of_writing
Summary: Some small snippets, a lot of shit happens.Suddenly the loud noises that had woken Keith up ends and the deafening sound of a gunshot rings throughout the house.“The mother and father were found dead, we can only assume the kid’s dead as well.”“Do you know where my Mom and Dad are,” he asks whipping his nose on the sleeve of the scratchy hospital garment.“Keith,” she says, “These are the Shiroganes and they’ve adopted you."





	The Fire In His Heart

**Author's Note:**

> "Just keep moving on, that's all you can do."

A small five-year-old Keith wakes up to the sound of grunting, glass shattering, and the dull thuds of various objects hitting the furniture. He’s about to call out when his mother comes rushing into the room, tears streaming down her face and a small cut on her forehead, blood dripping down the side of her face. 

She presses a finger to her mouth making quiet shushing noise in an attempt to calm the panicking child. 

“It’s going to be okay honey. Everything’s alright. It’s okay. I need you to grab Mr. Bibs and hide under the bed, okay honey?” she asks in hushed whispers, grabbing the stuffed hippo and putting it in Keith’s small hands before lifting him up out of bed and placing him on the floor. 

“We’re gonna play a small game of hide and seek okay. Now, no matter what, you can not make a single sound or come out from under the bed. Either me or Papa will come to get you, okay Keith?” 

Tears swell up in Keith’s eyes, threatening to spill out, but he only grips Mr. Bibs tighter and nods.

His mother gives him a sad smile and kisses him quickly on the forehead before ushering him into the small space between the bed and floor. 

“I love you, Keith, quickly now.” 

Suddenly the loud noises that had woken Keith up ends and the deafening sound of a gunshot rings throughout the house. 

With Keith now tucked safely under the bed, his mother stands up and slowly approaches the door. Keith watches her feet from underneath the bed as the light that was previously pouring into the room from the hallway suddenly disappears and two large boots come into Keith’s line of sight. 

“Where is the child, Krolia,” a gruff voice asks. 

“I have no clue what you’re talking about sir.” 

“You and I both know that’s bullshit. You betrayed your family as well as the company when you ran off and married that man and having a kid with him crossed the line. I’m simply here to finish the job that your father assigned to me.” 

“No!” Krolia screams, “I won’t let you.”  
“Shame, but I don’t think I gave you a choice,” the man states before another gunshot goes off and Keith sees his mother’s body drop to the floor in front of him.  


Keith holds back a cry as he watches the pool of blood around her body gradually grow as the seconds tick by. 

“Come out come out where ever you are you ungrateful brat,” the man spits out, walking around the area of the room. 

The wails of police sirens can be heard in the distance, gradually growing louder as the vehicles come closer. 

“Fuck, come on kid. I don’t have all day.” 

The man waits only a moment longer before grunting.

“Fine, but my job is getting completed one way or another.” 

The man strikes a match and uses it to light the wooden rocking chair, that sits adjacent to Keith’s bed, on fire before dropping the match to the floor. The smell of smoke enters Keith’s nose and he resists the urge to cough or sneeze as he buries his nose into Mr. Bibs to block repulsive the smell. 

Keith watches as the man runs out of the room. The sirens grow louder and Keith contemplates crawling out from his hiding spot under the bed until he remembers his mother’s words, telling him to stay put no matter what.

The fire from the chair spreads down to the floor and Keith shuffles further into the corner under the bed, pointedly keeping his eyes shut as to not look at his mother’s dead body. 

The five-year-old loses track of how much time he spends there, under the bed, only aware of the growing heat and the feeling of Mr. Bibs in his arms. 

~

“Shirogane! You can’t go back in there! The house is about to collapse!” 

“The child hasn’t been found yet!” 

“The mother and father were found dead, we can only assume the kid’s dead as well.”

“We’re wasting time!” he yells, before sprinting back inside the burning building. 

~

The heat of the fire is almost unbearable at this point and Keith couldn't help but let out a soft cry at the pain. It was beginning to become difficult to breathe and black dots danced on the edges of his vision. Keith’s soft whine unleased the floodgates and soon the child was crying out for help as loud as his smoke-filled lugs would let him. 

Keith’s thoughts become foggy and his grip on Mr. Bibs loosens.

He barely registers the sound of heavy footsteps entering the burning room and the last thing he remembers is someone lifting the bed up from above him. 

~

“Luis, where’s Shirogane?” 

“He ran back inside the building sir. I tried to stop him.”

“Luis!” A voice yells and a tall figure emerges from the burning building, as it comes closer, the other firemen are able to see a small child hanging limply in Shirogane’s arms. 

They start calling out to the paramedics. Before Shiroganes’s able to come any closer the paramedics flock to him and the child. Quickly they take Keith away on the ambulance before Shirogane is able to protest.

The firetrucks are already hosing down the building when Shirogane goes up to the chief. 

“I need to know what hospital that ambulance is going to.” 

“You can deal with that later. You disobeyed direct orders. You could have gotten yourself killed.”

“I did my job,” he says, walking away towards the firetruck. 

~

Keith’s eyes blink open and he squints against the harsh white lights of the hospital room. 

“Where am I,” he croaks, trying to sit up, only to feel something move uncomfortably in his arm. 

Keith looks at his arm to see various needles stuck inside of it and promptly begins to cry. There’s a shuffling noise to his right but he pays no mind to it, so preoccupied by the sheer panic that overcomes him.

“Nurse! Nurse!” A voice calls clearly panicked as well. Shortly after the cry for help, a nurse comes into the room and hurriedly makes her way over to Keith. 

“It’s okay sweetie, let’s get these icky needles out of your arm and then we can call the doctor in here okay,” she says in a sickly sweet and high-pitched voice, but it seems to work as Keith’s cries become soft sniffles. 

“Do you know where my Mom and Papa are,” he asks whipping his nose on the sleeve of the scratchy hospital garment. 

“Oh sweetie, why don’t you just lay down and rest until the doctor comes. Here, we have your stuffed hippo.” The nurse hands Keith Mr. Bibs. 

“Mr. Bibs isn’t stuffed!” Keith exclaims, tugging Mr. Bibs towards him and inhaling the scent of unfamiliar detergent and smoke. 

“Of course not, my bad,” the nurse says, before turning to the man who stood behind Keith. 

“May I speak with you for a moment.” 

The man nods and the pair walk out of the room, closing the door and leaving a confused Keith snuggling Mr; Bibs on the hospital bed. 

“What are your relations with the patient because according to hospital records his mother has no connections what so ever, she practically appeared out of nowhere and all of his fathers immediate family is dead with all his distant relatives living in Korea. Keith has nowhere to go.” 

“I- I'm the firefighter that saved him from the fire two nights ago. Both his parents were already dead when we got there. We think that the same person who killed his parents caused the fire that burned down the house. My wife and I would take him in, but my son Takashi was just diagnosed with Becker Muscular Dystrophy and we’re struggling with the new onslaught of bills from physical therapy. We can’t afford another kid right now.” 

“I understand Mr. Shirogane.”

“Please, call me Hiroko.” 

“Yes sir, we’ll try and see if there are any foster families near here because h can't stay here forever.” 

“I know but,” Hiroko groans, pinching the bridge of his nose,” could you do me a favor? When you find a place for him, could you give me connections to the family or whoever gets placed in charge of him? Maybe when my family and I are more financially stable we can adopt him.” 

The nurse smiles, “Thank you for considering. I’ll see what I can do.”

Hiroko smiles in return and watches the nurse walk away. 

~

Four Years Later

~

“Keith! Someone’s here to see you!” 

Charlie screeches from down the hallway.

Sighing, Keith grabs his black backpack and makes his way out of the shared bedroom and towards the hallway. 

Charlie, a short pudgy kid with impossibly blond hair and brown eyes, was his foster mother’s only biological child and because of that, he was spoiled and obviously her favorite. While Keith and the other four foster kids were required o share a bedroom, Charlie got his own. Aside from being a brat, Charlie didn’t bother Keith as much as the other kids.

Charlie was only four, somehow still incredibly manipulative but, he had no interest in Keith. Tyler, on the other hand, lived to torment Keith. He was fifteen years old, scrawny with acne dotting his face and unruly curly brown hair. Though he was thin, he looked like a bodybuilder when compared to Keith’s fragile frame. 

Kylie was thirteen and nosier than anything else. She had straight brown hair and hazel eyes, Kylie slept on the bottom bunk of her and Keith’s shared bunk bed. She often defended both Keith and Aiden from Tyler's violent antics. Aiden was Keith’s age and had a mop of unkempt red hair and dark eyes, Keith would swear he was the devil incarnated. He was extremely snarky and sarcastic for a nine-year-old, and the only time that he and Tyler ever got along was when they teamed up to make Keith’s life a living hell. 

Due to his pesky roommates, Keith opted to keep the few belongings that he owned in his backpack, a trick that he learned in one of his previous foster homes. 

The only items that were Keith’s and Keith’s alone were his mother’s knife (one of the only things that were recovered from the fire) a toothbrush, change of clothes, unused hairbrush, and (though Keith would deny it) Mr. Bibs.- 

Keith reaches the end of the hall to see his foster mother seated at the kitchen table with an older woman and someone who Keith assumes is her son. 

The older woman has dark grey hair, that Keith presumes was black at one point or another, thin circular glasses carefully perched on her nose. The boy has a very muscular build with short black hair and a strong jawline.

“Keith,” she says, “These are the Shiroganes and they’ve adopted you. All of the paperwork has been taken care of and you are free to leave today if you wish.” 

She sends Keith a fake smile, one that he has seen many times before and can see right through.

This was the only reason he stayed there for more than two months, she knew the entire time and kept it from him, but more than anything, she knows just how much Keith wants to get out of this house. 

Keith does his best not to react to the new information that was being thrown at him and keeps his voice of any and all emotion. 

“Okay,” he says, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

“Oh! Wonderful, you already have your bag. Well if you’re ready to leave I can get the door for you.” 

“Wait, wouldn’t you like to go get the rest of your things,” Mrs. Shirogane offers. 

Keith shakes his head and simply replies, “This is it.”

“Oh, well I- um. If you’re ready to leave,” she says uncertainly before getting up and slowly walking to the door. 

Keith follows suit and gets into the car without so much as a goodbye. He knows this procedure well.

~

One Year Later

~

“Keith… you can't keep getting into fights at school like this,” Shiro says, kneeling down next to Keith, who was sitting in a chair icing his eye and pointedly avoiding making eye contact. 

“Keith,” Shiro repeats. 

Keith seems to shrink in on himself before muttering, “Why do you even care?”

Shiro paused, shocked, and takes a moment to gather his thoughts before saying, “Because we’re family and that’s what family does. I know we will never replace what you had and we’re not trying to. Biologically you and I may not be brothers, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Mom and I care about you. Dad… he’s kept tabs on you since you were in the hospital. He wanted to make sure that we could adopt you as soon as possible and after he died, mom and I took on that responsibility. Don’t you see Keith, we’ve always wanted you. This wasn’t some split-second decision.” 

“How come you didn’t tell me sooner?” Keith asks, finally looking Shiro in the eye.

“Well, it’s kind of a strange thing to say to someone who just met you, don’t you think?” Shiro laughs, causing Keith to crack a small smile.

“Thanks, Shiro.” 

“For what?” 

“Cheering me up, I guess.” 

“No problem Keith. Now, who’d you beat up this time,” he asks, playfully nudging his younger brother.

Keith’s face cracks into a wide grin and he inhales before opening his mouth to say…

~

Five Years Later

~

Keith and Shiro are in the car silently driving down the road. The air is filled with paragraphs upon paragraphs of unspoken words just waiting to be exchanged between the two.

Shiro pulls into the parking lot, gravel crunching underneath the car tires. Keith and Shiro get out of the gar at the same time, Keith with two banquets of flowers in his hand. Both are dressed in black pants and button-downs and wear solum looks on their faces as they make their way through the cemetery.

The duo stops at a pair of simple tombstones engraved with the names ‘Austin Kogane’ and ‘Krolia Kogane’ along with their respective birthdates and ‘Died: June 5, 2000’. 

Keith kneels in front of the gravestones, his lip quivering slightly. Shiro rests a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“Shiro I- I just…” Keith sighs in defeat, his shoulders slouching as he caves in on himself. 

“It’s been so long,” his voice cracks,” how do I… I. What do I do?” He cries.

Shiro crouches down next to his sobbing brother. 

“Just keep moving on, that’s all you can do.”

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place before Is That A Gun In Your Pocket Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?, obviously. This is an assassin au series that I write based off of one sentence prompts. Both Keith and Lance will have 4 separate fics written about their life before they met each other, one of Lance's prompts will be the same as this one because everyone needs a little angst in their life, ya feel. Kudos and comments are appreciated!
> 
> Also, I like to listen to piano or orchestral (violas for life my dude) covers for music when I write (because otherwise, all I can think about is the lyrics) and so for my Avatar fans (the James Cameron version) I like to listen to [this gem](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXzKLpYTfBE) , it brings me to tears everytime.


End file.
